Ruse: Long Valley author explores town's 275 years

Denise Town Square in Washington Township, formerly Square and Mill Streets in German Valley.

For many years on her commute, Elizabeth Guzenski's route took her past an historic house in Long Valley. With the outside of the building in a state of disrepair, she often wondered who would live there.

"It went up for sale and it was terribly, terribly run down. I mean, the stone walls obviously have survived well but the rest of it was in horrible condition and I remember looking at it and thinking, 'Who in the world would ever want to live there?' And here I am," Guzenski said, laughing.

Now the vice president of the Washington Township Historical Society, Guzenski fell in love with the converted barn when she walked inside.

"I didn't like the outside, they hadn't done a very good job with the siding. ... But as you walk in, you go down about three steps and it's a three-story living room that has a fireplace that goes all the way up. I turned and looked at my husband and said, 'If we can afford it, this is what I want.' "

Guzenski's house is part of the upcoming Washington Township Historical Society's annual historic house tour, "Autumn in the Valley," on Oct. 5. The tour is part of the township's 275th anniversary which commemorates its first permanent settlement in 1738. The walking tour of the historic houses also will include the museum and the Zion Lutheran Church on Schooley's Mountain Road in the section known at one time as German Valley.

"The house has its issues, it's old. I happen to live in a barn that was built around 1730. Our bedroom was the hayloft which in the summer gets full sun so it's hot all the time and in the winter it's cold all the time," said Guzenski, who moved in in 1986 with her husband, Ron, and son, Paul.

But the home has modern conveniences, including baseboard heating, so "we've gotten used to it."

"I love it," she said. "That's our home."

When the Washington Township Historic Society was contacted by Arcadia Books to write the town's history in conjunction with its 275th anniversary, Guzenski had no qualms about volunteering.

"Actually, I have not been involved with the historical society that long which is probably why I said, 'Oh, sure I'll do the book,' " said Guzenski, who retired in 2007 after 33 years as an educator. "And it's a tremendous amount of work, but I learned a lot. We had a lot of help. One member, Eileen Stokes, who is also chairperson of the Historic Preservation Commission in town, is amazing. She tends to know it all or where to find it and she was a huge, huge help."

The book is part of Arcadia Books' "Images of America" series, which celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across America. Guzenski and co-authors Charlotte and Juergen Arndt started their work by contacting local residents and organizations for photographs.

"The majority of the photographs actually came from the collection at the museum. I also begged, borrowed and didn't steal from different people," said Guzenski, who grew up in Peapack-Gladstone. "You call people and say, 'Do you have a photograph?' "

The authors began the book with Middle Valley, which is where the settlement actually started with Samuel Schwachhamer's arrival in 1732. He was followed not long afterward by families of Duffords, Weises and Zimmers, mainly from the Palatine area of Germany and France.

"So 1738 is the official date of our actual settlement. At one time, 11 different districts were within our township, which was all part of Roxbury Township at one point. A lot of them were primarily just farming areas but they would have their own church, their own school, those along the river would have the mills."

For a time, Middle Valley became known as Dutch Valley after the many Dutch settlers who arrived before moving west. Afterward, it was primarily populated by German settlers and in 1805 the region became known as German Valley.

"During World War I, there was a lot of discussion about the Germans and the township voted to change it back to the original name of Long Valley, which was the name the Lenni Lenape Indians called it years before," Guzenski said.

Schooley's Mountain also was a well known resort area after the 1850s when Joseph Heath started a small hotel. The region became known for its mountain air and the chalybeate waters, which the Lenni Lenape had told the first settlers were healing waters.

"We had, if not the first, the second resort area in America up here and it just snowballed and became very famous. We had the Roosevelts, the Astors, the Vanderbilts, President Benjamin Harrison and Ulysses S. Grant visited here at one point," Guzenski said.

"We actually have his signature in a register for Belmont Hall which later became Dorincourt hotel. It was a summer resort where the very wealthy would come. It was definitely a different time."

By 1876, the railroad brought visitors to Schooley's Mountain's resort areas, helping them have a boom period.

"But then people also realized they could get to the Jersey Shore and up to the Catskills and that was the beginning of the decline of the resort area up here," Guzenski said. "And once the railroad started, we had a ton of quarries on the mountain. We had some of the best iron ore in the state. Quarries were a big business here."

The house tour is usually done during the Christmas season but the Historical Society decided to move it to October instead of competing with holiday events.

At each home, a docent, well versed in the house's lore and history, is stationed in every room.

"You try to make it perfect. The docents tell part of the history, something interesting, furniture that's in the house, certain windows that were put in, where the property came from," Guzenski said.

"It's a unique district, that's for sure. We're (Long Valley) a well-kept secret. We have a little bit of everything."

"Autumn in the Valley," the Washington Township Historical Society's annual historic house tour, is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 5. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased from 2-4 p.m. on any Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday at the museum at 6 Fairview Ave. in Long Valley. Tickets can also be purchased at 10 a.m. on the day of the tour.

The authors will also hold book signings at the museum from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday and from 1-3 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the Washington Township Public Library on East Springtown Road in Long Valley.

For more information, call 908-876-9696.

Help the Homeless

Meet Maxwell! Maxwell is a shy boxer/hound mix who was returned by an owner who could no longer keep him. It only takes a few minutes for Max to warm up to people but then he will happily give you kisses and cuddles. We are looking for a quiet home for Maxwell where he can get all the love and attention this wonderful dog deserves.

Pebbles is a sweet Siamese/Calico mix who is approximately 5 years old. Her eyes are a brilliant blue. She cannot figure out why her family brought her here and no longer wanted her and is depressed at the shelter. We hope a new family will come in soon and meet her so she can return to her outgoing and friendly self.

Maxwell and Pebbles are at Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, 194 Route 10 W. in East Hanover. To meet them or see more pets, visit www.njshelter.org, email info@njshelter.org or call 973-386-0590.

Denville youngsters help Rockaway dog rescue

Alicia Mitas, 10, and her sister, Claire, 6, from Denville teamed up to spread the word to help stop puppy mills when they set up a lemonade stand to sell baked goods, bracelets and their own art work to raise funds in support of Rockaway-based Eleventh Hour Rescue.

The stand was open for business on two separate occasions in front of the PETCO Store in Parsippany, with thanks to Store Manager Jay and his generous offer to host their efforts. The purpose of the lemonade stand was to raise awareness about abused dogs from puppy mills. Their dog, Jenny, alumni from Eleventh Hour Rescue, joined in their campaign as well. In total, the girls raised over $106 for their efforts.

For more information about Eleventh Hour Rescue, visit www.ehrdogs.org or call 973-664-0865.

Congressman stops at the Madison YMCA

Madison Area YMCA campers had fun during a rainy August afternoon tie-dyeing T-shirts with U.S. Rep Rodney P. Frelinghuysen.

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Ruse: Long Valley author explores town's 275 years

For many years on her commute, Elizabeth Guzenski's route took her past an historic house in Long Valley. With the outside of the building in a state of disrepair, she often wondered who would live

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